History Of The Club
Before 1890, Westhampton Beach was known as Ketchaboneck. There was no electricity, no telephone and no autos. However, the Long Island Railroad had built a new branch out to Sag Harbor in 1870, making possible a four-hour trip from L.I. City instead of twenty hours by horse.
The principal means of transportation to the beach was the sailboat. At that time, there were no inlets at Moriches or Shinnecock. The bays were fresh water and the fisherman chased carp, white perch, bass and eels.
The first era of sailboat racing consisted of contests between the fishermen’s skiffs. Later,
summer residents joined in. In 1890, a group of summer residents founded the Westhampton Country Club to socialize, play tennis and croquet, and to further promote the sailboat races. Of the nine original trustees, four were sailing enthusiasts.
In 1903, a small wooden building was put up at Moniebogue Bay where a dock was maintained.
In 1922, a yacht club building was constructed at the foot of Speonk Shore Road. This was destroyed by the 1938 hurricane. The depression and the hurricane forced the almost bankrupt country club to let
the yacht club property go. On June 27, 1939, The Westhampton Yacht Squadron was renamed and land was purchased for $1,000 west of the old site. A small clubhouse was erected for $3,750. Sailboat racing continued until temporarily curtailed during WWII. In 1955, two more pieces of property were purchased for $2,500.
Recent Squadron history includes, for power boaters, the Predicted Log Race which was started in 1960. In 1964, the now famous Fall Series became a regular part of the Squadron calendar following the informal get-togethers by Squadron members racing their Sunfish on Sunday afternoons.
The Squadron’s 75th Anniversary was celebrated in 1965 over the July Fourth weekend with 75 member- owned boats passing in review off the Club dock.
In November 1969, our present club arrived by barge from Jagger Lane in Westhampton where it was known as the Cedar Beach Club. The building was cut into three parts and is today’s present clubhouse. The old clubhouse became the Junior Yacht Club.
In 1970, the Y Flyer class started with twelve boats crossing the starting line, the new trophy case was also installed that year. In 1972 our swimming pool was constructed and in 1976, the first Squadron swim team was formed. While tennis buffs played on the new all-weather court, the first windsurfer regatta was held.
The Squadron hosted the Area B Semi-finals for the Women’s Nationals in 1977. The squadron was then selected as host club in 1977.
In 1983, the Hampton Classic, an all day Hobie Cat Regatta, was sponsored by WYS and Absolut Vodka. The Windsurfer Regatta in 1984 was co-sponsored by WYS and Malibu Rum.
In 1985, the first Annual Past Commodores Dinner was held honoring all past Officers, Directors and members. Two other long-standing events are the Flag Raising in May and the awards and trophies at the Commodore Dinner on the Saturday after Labor Day.
In 1990, the Squadron celebrated its centennial year with numerous social and sailing events. A GSBYRA invitational was held, as well as, the Flying Scott Regionals. A Centennial Gala Dinner Dance, with over two hundred people attending, was the highlight of the year.
The Board of 1999 voted to put heat in the main Club House, allowing the club to remain open twelve (12) months per year. A gala New Years Eve Party was held to welcome the new millennium.
